What drives brand decisions in Québec

July 21, 2008

Office affairs

This ad is appearing in business magazines in Quebec. It
promotes the Bizhub from Konica Minolta.
The headline says “Love affairs at the
office” and the sub-head reads “when efficiency and flexibility meet”.I’m sure the folks at Konica Minolta
believe this double meaning will resonate with their target prospects. Here’s
some related data.

Quebeckers and love at the office:

Léger Marketing asked Canadians in June 2002 whether they
believe companies should have strict rules forbidding flirting and intimate
relationships between co-workers. Quebeckers were significantly more likely to
say “no” than Canadians in the rest of the country. Perhaps Quebeckers don't feel the need for rules because they're significantly less likely than Canadians in the ROC to say they've ever cheated on their partner (only 18% in Quebec say they've cheated compared to 31% in Ontario and as high as 37% in Alberta) according to a January 2004 survey by Ipsos Reid. But before you conclude that Quebeckers are more faithful, see what they describe as "cheating". They are significantly less likely than other Canadians to say that a secret dinner date, a kiss, and online/internet flirtation is cheating.

But I digress... - back to Quebeckers and office copiers:

In April 2006, Ipsos-Reid asked Canadians about their use of
office copiers for personal reasons (Ipsos-Reid survey for Canon Canada).
Quebeckers were significantly less likely to say they print or copy personal
materials or documents using the centralized office printer/copier.
Interestingly, among those who use the office printer/copier for personal
reasons Quebeckers were more likely to print shopping coupons while Ontarians
were more likely to print driving directions. Shopping coupons??? Sounds like counterfeit
to me. It’s well documented that Quebeckers are avid coupon users but this is
the only survey I’ve seen that confirms they’re printing them on the office’s
colour copier…

The same survey also asked Canadians what they do when the
office printer stops or if an error message appears. Canadians in the rest of
Canada were more likely to say that they usually contact the office
manager/administration personnel. Quebeckers were significantly more likely to
say they try to fix it themselves. I would too if I was printing coupons…